Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 398 Striving for a New Campus for the Provincial Vocational College

Wu Zhiyuan readily agreed.

He would not refuse, neither for public nor private reasons.

Lin Xue is not only a leader, but also an older sister and a confidante.

I walked out of the municipal government office building.

Wu Zhiyuan only brought Lü Xinghua with him when he came to Jiangzhou this time.

When he went to see Lin Xue, Lü Xinghua waited in the car the whole time.

In early spring in Jiangzhou, there was still a chill in the air, but the magnolia flowers along the roadside had already begun to bud.

The provincial vocational college is located in the city.

The school site was originally a vocational school.

Back then, this place wasn't in the city center; it was in the suburbs.

With the acceleration of urbanization, the urban area of ​​Jiangzhou has increased several times.

What was once the suburbs is now part of the city.

The provincial vocational college is at the deputy provincial level, and Fu Tingting is at the deputy provincial level, which is higher than Wu Zhiyuan's rank.

The car drove into the provincial vocational and technical college.

The campus is indeed not very large, the teaching buildings look old, and the playground is not spacious.

Students walked around the campus in small groups, full of youthful energy.

Because they had made an appointment in advance, Wu Zhiyuan went straight to Fu Tingting's office.

Fu Tingting greeted them at the entrance of the building.

She was in her early fifties, slightly overweight, with a round face and short hair, looking like the auntie next door.

"County Chief Wu, welcome, welcome." Fu Tingting extended her hand.

Wu Zhiyuan quickly stepped forward and grasped his hands, saying, "Dean Fu, I apologize for the intrusion and for causing you trouble."

"Not at all, I'm overjoyed that the local officials from my hometown have come," Fu Tingting said with a smile, leading him toward the office.

Upon entering the office, Fu Tingting personally brewed tea.

"County Chief Wu, the last New Year's gathering was so rushed that we didn't have time to chat in detail."

You mentioned the new campus of the provincial vocational college; I've been thinking about it for several days since I got back.

Wu Zhiyuan took the teacup: "Dean Fu, you can just call me Zhiyuan."

I'm here today to hear your honest thoughts.

Fu Tingting sat down and smiled, "Zhiyuan, the school has a say in the selection of the new campus site, but the final decision rests with the Provincial Department of Education and the Provincial Development and Reform Commission."

As the dean, I can recommend and advocate for it, but my decision doesn't count.

"I understand."

Fu Tingting nodded: "Of course, the school's opinion is also very important."

The Ministry of Education will fully consider our suggestions when making decisions.

So, if you want me to speak for Qingyan in the province, you have to give me a good reason.

It wasn't just because we're from the same hometown; from the perspective of the school's development, Qingyan was indeed the best choice.

Wu Zhiyuan took out a document from his bag and handed it over with both hands: "Dean Fu, this is a preliminary plan that I asked the county to prepare. Please take a look."

Fu Tingting took it and started reading.

About ten minutes later, Fu Tingting spoke up: "Zhiyuan, your plan is quite detailed."

They considered locational advantages, land availability, industrial planning, and even dedicated bus lines.

To be honest, it's more solid than I expected.

Wu Zhiyuan laughed and said, "Dean Fu, why don't you just say 'but'?"

Fu Tingting was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay, then I won't be polite."

Fu Tingting closed the proposal: "Zhiyuan, your proposal shows sincerity and thoughtful approach."

But there are a few very real questions I need to clarify.

She held up one finger: "First, the matching set."

The plan stated that the school, including faculty and staff, would have nearly 20,000 people. While there aren't actually 20,000, there are probably 13,000 to 14,000. That's not a small number.

When people come, they need to eat, shop, see a doctor, and have entertainment.

What does Wuhe Town have now? Can it meet the basic living needs of more than 10,000 people?

Students come here to study, not to reclaim wasteland.

Inadequate supporting facilities lead to student dissatisfaction, parental complaints, and ultimately, damage to the school's reputation and enrollment. This isn't something that can be solved by simply making empty promises.

Wu Zhiyuan listened attentively and nodded, saying, "Dean Fu, the question you raised is very crucial."

We have conducted a preliminary assessment and acknowledge that this is currently our biggest weakness.

Therefore, our approach is to plan and launch the school construction and city construction simultaneously.

The county can promise to start detailed planning for the Wuhe Town New Area, or University Town area, at the same time as the construction of the new school campus begins, and to prioritize the construction of a number of necessary supporting facilities.

This includes, but is not limited to: commercial streets, hospitals, primary and secondary schools, cultural activity centers, sports venues, and public transportation hubs.

In terms of funding, we are considering raising funds through various means, such as introducing social capital, applying for special bonds, and co-construction with schools.

Furthermore, we can incorporate this supporting infrastructure development plan as part of the cooperation framework agreement between the school and Qingyan County, clearly defining the timetable and responsible parties, and accepting supervision.

Fu Tingting nodded slightly and then raised her second finger: "Secondly, the core of your 'industry + education' strategy is Xunfeng Automobile's parts industrial park."

Although I am not in the business world, I am also from Qingyan, and I have heard some of the stories about Zhou Qiming and Qingyan.

You said that for a virtuous cycle to be formed, the prerequisite is that the industry can actually be implemented.

Can you guarantee that Zhou Qiming will come back?

Or rather, what concrete assurance do you have?

If Xunfeng doesn't come, or if it does come but its scale and number of positions fall far short of expectations, your closed loop of "industry attracting students, students serving industry" will be broken.

For the school, this is just an empty promise, and the risk is huge.

Wu Zhiyuan replied, "Dean Fu, this is a very pointed and practical question."

I cannot give you a 100% guarantee; no investment promotion agency would dare to make such a promise.

However, we can see it from several aspects: First, our sincerity towards Mr. Zhou Qiming is unprecedented. It is not just about attracting investment, but also about resolving misunderstandings and repairing relationships. This work is being carried out in a solid and low-key manner, and I believe that sincerity will prevail.

Secondly, even if the Xunfeng project ultimately fails to materialize for various reasons, the positioning of our planned auto parts industrial park is based on the supporting needs of the automotive industry cluster in Jiangzhou and the surrounding areas, and we will make every effort to attract other related enterprises.

Moreover, vocational education has a wide range of applications and is not limited to the automotive industry.

There is a huge demand for talent in Qingyan and even Jiangzhou City in fields such as high-end manufacturing, information technology, modern agriculture, modern logistics, and cultural tourism. Schools can adjust their majors according to the dynamics of local industrial development.

Third, we can include a commitment in the agreement that "the county government will ensure the introduction or cultivation of internship and employment enterprises of a certain scale that meet the needs of the school's relevant majors," and establish corresponding assessment indicators and a compensation mechanism for failing to meet the targets, using the system to guarantee students' internship and employment opportunities.

Fu Tingting thought for a moment, then raised her third finger: "Okay, even if you have a way to deal with or share the risks of the first two problems."

The third question is about money. Cheap land and reduced supporting fees are good intentions, but the construction of a new campus is astronomical, and the province and the school itself will naturally have to invest the majority of the funds.

I have heard about the financial situation of Qingyan County. How much matching funds can you provide?

Or, in other words, besides policy incentives, how much support can you provide in terms of actual money?

For example, how about helping to solve the housing subsidy problem for some faculty and staff?

Could you assist with applications for provincial and national vocational education development project funding?

Wu Zhiyuan was prepared: "Dean Fu, Qingyan is an impoverished county with a weak foundation. It's unrealistic to come up with a large sum of cash to match it directly."

But our support can be more flexible and comprehensive.

First, regarding land, we can offer zero land price or a symbolic fee, and we will be responsible for completing the preliminary development of the land, including infrastructure such as water, electricity, roads, and gas. This investment is substantial.

Secondly, as you just mentioned, for high-level talents introduced by schools, such as PhDs, senior technicians and backbone teachers, the county finance can set up special talent subsidies and provide a certain number of preferential talent apartments or rental subsidies. The county will coordinate and give priority to their spouses' employment and their children's schooling.

Third, we can promise that over the next five years, the county finance will allocate a certain amount of special funds each year to support industry-university-research projects and the construction of skills training bases in cooperation between the school and local enterprises in Qingyan.

Fourth, and most importantly, we will mobilize the entire county to assist schools in applying for national and provincial vocational education reform and development projects, industry-education integration projects, and other funding from higher levels.

I brought with me the initial support from Mayor Lin Xue of the city, as well as city-level matching funds and project recommendations. We will do our best to secure them.

In short, our approach is to compensate for our shortcomings in direct financial investment by utilizing the best land resources, the most attentive talent services, the most efficient government environment, and the most proactive efforts to secure support from higher levels, thereby establishing a long-term, stable, and mutually beneficial government-university cooperation model.

After listening, Fu Tingting pondered for a long time before speaking again: "Zhiyuan, you came prepared, and you thought more deeply than many local officials who came to discuss cooperation. You didn't just make empty promises."

The ideas you proposed, especially the ones about linking talent policies, exchanging services for investment, and sharing industry risks, are very creative and address some of the pain points of schools.

However, this matter is too big for me to decide alone, or even for the school leadership to decide entirely.

The procedures with the Education Department and the Development and Reform Commission are complicated, and there's a lot of back-and-forth.

Several other districts and counties in Jiangzhou have already taken action, and the conditions they've offered may not be worse than yours; some districts even have financial resources that you can't match.

Wu Zhiyuan said sincerely, "Dean Fu, our Qingyan has both obvious advantages and disadvantages."

We are here today not to ask for your immediate support, but to give us a chance to let the province and the school see Qingyan's plan, sincerity and determination.

We hope that Qingyan's proposal will be discussed as a serious and viable option during the next internal school discussion or when the Education Department organizes a site selection assessment.

Once something is within the scope of discussion, we have the opportunity to advocate for it, improve it, and persuade others.

"Alright, Zhiyuan. For the sake of our hometown, and for the sake of your solid plan and sincerity, I'll keep this material here."

I will bring up your intentions and preliminary ideas for Qingyan at appropriate occasions, such as school affairs meetings or when reporting to the department.

However, you need to do a few things quickly.

First, please provide me with a more detailed and actionable supplementary plan as soon as possible, including details on supporting construction plans, talent policies, and risk-sharing mechanisms.

Secondly, regarding the actual situation in Wuhe Town, maps and plans alone are not enough. I need something more intuitive, such as aerial images, an assessment of the surrounding environment, and ideally, a preliminary conceptual planning map.

Third, and most importantly, you need to expedite your contact with Xunfeng Motors.

Even if there is no immediate intention to invest, if we can get a positive response from Zhou Qiming, or if Xunfeng Motors and the Provincial Vocational College can reach some cooperation agreements on talent cultivation.

Even a preliminary framework agreement would be extremely helpful in persuading other leaders within the university and the provincial authorities. This is what we call "using one phoenix to attract another."

Wu Zhiyuan knew that this was the best result they could achieve at the moment.

He said solemnly, "Dean Fu, thank you very much! We will implement the points you raised immediately upon our return."

I will prepare the detailed supplementary materials and send them to you within a week.

I will arrange for someone to compile the on-site data of Wuhe Town as soon as possible.

As for President Zhou, we will do our best.

Fu Tingting smiled and said, "Don't thank me. I'm also from Qingyan, so of course I hope my hometown is doing well."

Whether this matter succeeds or not ultimately depends on the province's decision and also on whether your own work is done properly.

The road ahead is long and fraught with difficulties; we must be patient and resilient.

By the way, you should also pay another visit to Director Jiang.

Although he had to avoid suspicion and couldn't speak publicly, his opinions still carried weight on some key aspects and procedures.

When you go, you don't need to mention me; just tell me your thoughts and progress.

He may look serious, but he still has his hometown in his heart.

"Thank you for reminding me, Dean Fu. I've got it in mind," Wu Zhiyuan said sincerely.

Fu Tingting politely offered to treat Wu Zhiyuan to dinner, but Wu Zhiyuan declined.

Shortly after checking into the hotel, Wu Zhiyuan sent Lin Xue a message: Sister Lin, is it convenient for me to come over now?

Lin Xue quickly replied: Convenient.